Pittsburgh Steelers: Martavis Bryant Isn’t Needed Anymore

It’s becoming more difficult by the week to understand why the Pittsburgh Steelers even have Martavis Bryant around any longer.

Sure at first it was an easy sell. In 2015 the offense was explosive with him in the lineup, almost to the point where they could score at will. However, things changed in 2016. People thought losing Bryant for a year-long suspension was going to sink the team or at least kill their chances at a Super Bowl. Instead the Steelers rallied together and made it to the AFC championship. Even further than they’d made it the year before with Bryant in the lineup.

So maybe he wasn’t as critical to their success as originally believed. This 2017 season is merely a continuation of proving that. Bryant has 18 catches for 234 yards and a touchdown through seven games. That is not ideal production, but the Steelers are 5-2. Not only that but they’re coming off a route of the Bengals in which rookie receiver Ju Ju Smith-Schuster made a notable contribution.

No doubt this only fed to the frustration Bryant has felt since returning. Not only did he trash Smith-Schuster on Instagram, he also failed to show up for a team meeting.

Bryant called in sick for team meeting, adding to alienation from team

According to NFL.com and other sources the mercurial 25-year old receiver continues his slow drifting away from the interests of the Steelers. That reached a high point when he missed a team meeting by calling in sick.

"A day after a one-catch performance in a blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant did not show up to meetings.NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Bryant went to the doctor on Monday morning, according to the player’s agent Tom Santanello.One teammate told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Bryant “called in sick.”“No, he’s not here,” guard Roman Foster said of Bryant. “I don’t know what happened. I think he called in sick today. Don’t know. I just wish he were here to answer his own questions. You can’t throw that stuff out there on social media land and expect no forest fires behind it.”"

Now this may be a legitimate excuse but given the recent history of Bryant, it feels more like an attempt to distance himself and let the team know he’s done with them. So the only question left is why aren’t they done with him? Of course he’s a talented player and one likes to keep such talents around in case of injuries. At the same time Bryant is proving to be a distraction.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Desperation Leads To QB Avalanche

This Steelers team is good and has a chance to get back to the AFC championship. The last thing they need is one of their own players making it more difficult because he’s not getting the ball enough. It’s never an easy decision to cut a gifted player but sometimes it is necessary. This feels like one of those times.